"Federal Lead-Pipe Rule Overhauled For First Time In Decades"

"But the government is allowing many of the nation’s 6 million lead water pipes to remain in service, and health advocates say risks remain"

"For the first time in three decades, the federal government on Tuesday overhauled a rule aimed at reducing lead in drinking water across the country — a long-standing scourge made worse by the nation’s weathered and crumbling infrastructure.

The Environmental Protection Agency’s lead and copper rule, widely criticized as complicated, poorly enforced and too weak to protect the health of many Americans, has not been revised since 1991, when George H.W. Bush was president.

The 409-page updated version will for the first time require water utilities to test for lead at schools and child-care facilities and establish a new “trigger level” for contamination at which systems must review their water treatment procedures and consult with state regulators on potential improvements."

Sarah Kaplan and Brady Dennis report for the Washington Post December 22, 2020.

SEE ALSO:

"Leaked Rule: EPA Doubles Timeline For Lead Pipe Removal" (E&E News)

"Smaller Share of Lead Pipes Must Be Replaced in EPA Rule" (Bloomberg Environment)